


Scene Stealers

by Wannawannabe



Series: Warm Ups [3]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: I just love binsung with all my heart, M/M, Thief AU, Vague Time Period, for once in my life, idk him, mentioned alcohol consumption, rich bin?, set before 1980s, shdkshd sorry, woochan isn’t the main ship, ya feel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-06-13 16:16:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15368406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wannawannabe/pseuds/Wannawannabe
Summary: A cheer rose as the man yelled again, lights flashing. The crowd swayed to the beat of the band.Changbin rolled his eyes, and leaned farther away from the crowd that had been forming around the silver haired man.Jisung pretended he didn’t see the man yelling, instead making sure his vest was clean as he stepped out of the kitchen.This was going to be an interesting night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote 90% of this in two hours then didn’t touch it for over 32 hours :’)))) 
> 
> But it’s done now :’)

Lights flashed, the crowd moving back and forth to the beat of the band playing, a voice cried,

 

“1! 2! 3!” A man raised his glass. One of the men from the band nodded, and the drummer entered the song with a new vigor. A cheer rose from around the bar, more people raising their glasses to the man who had spoken first. 

 

Changbin rolled his eyes, _idiots_. He watched as the people threw their drinks into the air as if nothing mattered, watched as their expensive drinks sloshed around and fell out of their glasses. He glared, what he would do to have that kind of money.

 

The man who spoke stood on the table, hair dyed silver, fairly curly, a watch probably worth more than Changbin would make in a year. He smiled and threw his arms out to the crowd around him, his dimples showing. _This was their guy_.

 

“Next round’s on me!” He called, another cheer rose from the bar. Changbin rolled his eyes and leaned further down, trying to avoid being noticed. He stood out enough as it was, everyone here dressed to the nines and him with his old hoodie, ripped jeans, and scuffed sneakers, he looked like a kid. He pulled the hood lower over his face and glanced around.

 

A waiter passed by, carrying a tray of drinks. Changbin looked up, saw a bit of a smirk as the waiter passed him. He smiled,

 

Jisung had gotten in.

 

Now that he knew Jisung had gotten the job he was more relaxed. Jisung getting in was the shakiest part of their plan, but Jisung always got what he wanted, looks like the management here was no exception to that. Changbin watched as he walked around, getting called over by other people. As Jisung turned around he saw a red mark on his neck. Changbin grit his teeth, _people these days_.

 

He shook his head, this was Jisungs first and last day at work here, it was only for tonight. This clubs questionable management could be forgotten after this. Jisung shot a blinding smile to another guest as he passed them a drink. Changbin watched as he headed closer to the man who was now sitting casually on the table, another man clinging onto his arm and leaning against him, head resting on his shoulder.

 

Changbin raised an eyebrow but decided not question it, plus not like he could judge. Not when he had Jisung.

 

Jisung made his way to the edge of the crowd that had gathered around the silver haired man on the table, the man on the table’s white teeth blinding Changbin from across the club. Changbin put his arms on the table and pushed himself up, time for him to do his job.

 

The band had slowed down already, Changbin stood still for a bit, just listening. The beat was surprisingly nice, he could work with this. He walked up to the band ignoring the looks he was getting from other guests. _Could this place really be called a club?_ He was 90% sure this was just a restaurant with a dancing area. _Did Sungie say this was a club or restaurant?_

 

Guess you could call yourself whatever you wanted when the entrance fee was what Changbin would normally make in a week.

 

“Hey!” He called to the one of the band members, he was pretty sure this one had been singing earlier. “Want me to add to what you currently have?” He asked, standing in front of the stage. The singer eyed him,

 

“You play?” He asked. Changbin shook his head,

 

“I rap,” the singer raised an eyebrow. Changbin shrugged, “you’ve got a nice beat going.”

 

“You any good?” The singer continued, Changbin tilted his head as if in thought.

 

“I’d like to think so,” he answered face blank. The singer looked him over again then sighed and leaned back in his chair.

 

“Go ahead kid, the rest of us were on break anyways,” Changbin smiled and stepped up onto the stage. the singer grabbed his sleeve stopping him before he could continue, “Hey, if you suck? I’m pulling your mic,” Changbin nodded, that was fair.

 

Not like he had anything to worry about.

 

He walked up to the mic, the singer called something that sounded like ‘dawnie!’, he could feel the drummer watching him. He looked back at her, she eyed him and shrugged.

 

The drums picked up again, he took that as his intro and started when they paused. The lyrics he had scribbled onto a napkin and shoved into his back pocket yesterday fresh in his mind. He drew out his first note, then began his distraction.

 

“ _Just this one line is a scene stealer,”_ he looked around watching as people began to turn to watch him, the drummer came back in, “ _Not just one line but one letter’s a verse killer,”_ Changbin could tell more and more people had begun to watch but not the person he needed to watch him. He continued, the drummer keeping up a steady beat, he noticed a bass somewhere also playing, was that the singer playing it? No time to wonder.

 

He caught Jisung’s eye, shooting him a smirk, he was in his element, but Jisung had a job. Changbin winked, smiling a bit more as Jisung stumbled and kept walking, ears red. He heard a woman gasp, _oops_. He took a breath,

 

“ _When I,”_ Changbin sped up, attracting more attention with the rap he _knew_ was good, and table man finally looked over. In all honesty Changbin should’ve known his name, Jisung had told him more than enough times but, he was a target, and Changbin didn’t tend to care much for their targets.

 

Changbin made eye contact with the man, his blinding smile temporarily gone, his gaze surprisingly piercing. Changbin kept his face blank and stared right back, he was here to distract, he wouldn’t fail where Jisung had succeed time and time again. He owed that much to Jisung.

 

Plus, he wanted to brag to Jisung after this and see how much he could annoy him.

 

He was used to Jisung being the distraction, but he remembered enough from Jisung that he knew bright smiles and happy conversation weren’t enough to distract this guy. An entertainer himself, he would probably see right through Jisung. But competition? Everyone was a sucker for competition. Changbin argued Jisung could have still been the distraction but, Jisung got what Jisung wanted. Changbin thought back to the red mark on Jisung’s neck and fought down a wince.

 

Maybe he still should’ve been the waiter.

 

He paused as the drums picked up once again, this band was actually pretty nice. A shame he’d never come back here. Changbin jumped in surprise as a voice called out,

 

“Lights!” The man at the table pulled his arm away from the man who had been leaning on him and spread both arms out, “Camera!” He continued, moving to stand on the table once again, “Annnnnd Action!” He pointed directly at Changbin, drawing the attention of the rest of the guests to him. Changbin felt his eye twitch as the man smirked at him, challenging him to continue, knowing all eyes were on him. Changbin clenched his fist, he heard a piano begin to play. He began the next verse, spotlight on him.

 

He wouldn’t lose.

  
  
  


☆☆☆☆☆☆

  
  
  


Jisung sighed as he walked away from the large crowd again. _Whoever thought being a jerk to waiters was cool should be punished_ , he thought to himself. He’d already been pushed six times, scolded eight, and had almost been spilled on by drunk patrons twice. Honestly he wasn’t getting paid enough for this.

 

Well, if everything went well he actually probably would be paid enough for this.

 

That wasn’t the point. Changbin had been doing his job wonderfully and Chan had seemed completely immersed. Bang Chan seemed like an okay guy, maybe a little dramatic but he hadn’t been a jerk to any of the waiters yet, so he was okay in Jisung’s book.

 

A shame they were robbing him.

 

Jisung rushes back into the kitchen, his tray full of empty glasses, he put it down and switched it for a new one. He heard someone yell, what sounded like ‘Hurry Up!’ But left before he could see who it was. He had been lucky to have been giving a job serving, seemed like everyone had a soft spot for street kids you could get cheap labor from.

 

Jisung tried not to rub at his neck. He made his way back to the crowd that had gathered around Chan. This place wasn’t that big yet the crowd around him was almost too thick to move through. He smiled at the people around him, holding his tray up in the air to avoid hitting people, having to awkwardly contort his body to get through to the middle where Chan was.

 

He walked up the man sitting at the table Chan was standing on. He looked bored with what was happening, chin resting on his hand as he casually watched Changbin rap. He seemed unconcerned with the fact Chan was currently standing on a table goading what was to him, a random stranger into a one sided rap battle.

 

“Drink?” He offered, holding the tray out to him. The man shrugged, then grabbed a drink from the tray, downing half of it right off the bat. Jisung tried to school his facial features, wasn’t as if he hadn’t done that before.

 

He tapped Chan, holding up the tray to him, “Drink?” He called up to him. Chan nodded absently reaching down to grab a drink. Jisung put the tray down and carefully passed him one, making sure it didn’t spill.

 

The bracelet practically fell into his hands.

 

He heard Chan mumble a thank you and continue watching Changbin. He nodded and turned back to the man sitting at the table, he held out the tray again. The man shook his head, silver hair waving, and went back to watching Changbin again. Jisung nodded and went back to serving.

 

He turned around, a bracelet and a ring richer. He missed the man sitting at the table narrow his eyes at him, too busy thinking about how to get the watch and the necklace. The true targets of tonight.

 

The man continued to glare, he hadn’t caught Jisung, but he had noticed the amount of jewelry Chan had on him decrease. He watched as the waiter continued serving people. He knew something was going to happen. He made a mental note of what the boy looked like. _Just in case_ , the man told himself, _for later_.

 

Jisung slowly made his way back to the table he was sure Changbin had been at early. He saw a cloth strap hanging off a chair, that was his drop off. It felt a little obvious to him but, it had worked in the past, and he was pretty sure no one at this restaurant thought Changbin had much money on him to check his bag.

 

Jisung quickened his step, noticing a guest slowly making his way towards the table as well. This was his chance. He watched as the guest approached, not paying attention. Jisung kept up his pace, making sure that he’d almost collide with the guest.

 

Right as he arrived at the table he abruptly stopped, gasping loudly and pulling his tray back, startling the man in front of him. The man jolted as well, turning to look at Jisung, who had already put the tray down and was apologizing for almost running into him.

 

“I’m so sorry sir! Did I get anything on you? Are you okay?!” Jisung questioned quickly, disorienting the guest even more. Jisung quickly pat down the other man, feigning the action of checking for any stains he might’ve caused. The man, coming back to his senses scoffed and slapped Jisung's hands away.

 

“You better pay more attention to where you’re going from now on!” The man scolded, Jisung internally rolled his eyes. “You could’ve damaged my jacket! This is worth more than you’ll make in a month!” The man scoffed again and walked away. Jisung fought the urge to actually roll his eyes and instead wiped his brow and rested his hand on the table. He leaned over the table and let his hand hang near the opening of the bag.

 

He slipped in the bracelet, two rings, and the wallet of the guest.

 

What? The guy had basically been asking for it! Who kept their wallet in their breast pocket!

 

He went to pick up his tray and realized just how many people had been watching him. _Oops_ , looks he had made a little _too_ much of a scene. He brushed it off, these people would forget about him, Changbin was the main event.

 

He watched as the other patrons shrugged and went back to the scene Chan was causing with Changbin. Jisung did roll his eyes this time, _at least celebrities can be useful sometimes_. He went back to the kitchen, all he needed now was the necklace and the watch.

 

This was already the perfect robbery.

  
  
  


☆☆☆☆☆☆

  
  
  


Woojin narrowed his eyes again at the boy. He had seen him get through that crowd as if it was nothing, the fact he would stumble so easily was unlikely. He looked back at the ring missing on Chan’s finger. Watched as Chan pointed with his other hand and the cuff of his sleeve ride up. Noticed the missing bracelet.

 

This kid was good.

 

Woojin pulled on Chan’s pant leg, attempting to get his attention. Chan made a vague wave at him that he interpreted as _not now_. He rolled his eyes, Chan was a sucker for kids with talent. He watched the boy wander out of the kitchen, the determined look in his eyes not matching his easy going smile.

 

Seemed like he wasn’t the only one who knew what distracted Chan. He watched the rapper closely, he seemed to be in a silent battle with Chan, not backing down even when Chan would yell things to try and interrupt his flow. Woojin kept watching, the rapper’s expression not changing.

 

_There!_

 

The kid’s eyes had shifted, it had been for a split second but Woojin had caught it. He turned to the general direction he had looked. Seeing the waiter.

 

 _Oh?_ Woojin smiled, this was going to be an interesting night.

  
  
  


☆☆☆☆☆☆

  
  
  


40 minutes later and Jisung had the necklace and the watch safely in the bag and Changbin was stepping down from the stage. Even if Jisung wasn’t incredibly biased he would’ve said Changbin had been amazing. 40 minutes of performing was no joke but Changbin had pulled it off.

 

The night was coming to an end, and it seemed Chan was none the wiser. Jisung smiled a genuine smile on his last trip back to the kitchen.

 

Truly a perfect robbery.

-

Changbin on the other hand, was having trouble retaining a straight face. Going back and forth with the man (Chan?) had actually been, a bit fun. He would never tell Jisung, but he had enjoyed the attention, and the challenge presented to him.

 

It didn’t hurt that Jisung also got the job done.

 

Changbin thanked the band, high fived the singer and quickly walked away. He might’ve heard something along the lines of “You can come back _anytime_ ” but he was too busy rushing to his bag. He had kept a semi close eye on it, and was confident no one but Jisung had been near it. He picked it up, immediately noticing the extra weight.

 

Now all he had to do was make it out of here. He started walking towards the door, not knowing at the exact same moment Chan’s companion had revealed to him that he had been robbed.

-

Now while Woojin realized this was in fact a bad thing, the shock on Chan’s face was fairly satisfying. _Teaches him for not listening to me earlier_.

 

Woojin rolled his eyes and began explaining to Chan what happened, he knew he’d be able to deal with it. He first pointed out the waiter, then began explaining the whole process. Chan nodding along.

  
  
  


☆☆☆☆☆☆

  
  


Chan was, admittedly, a bit surprised. It had been a while since anyone had tried to rob him, and he hadn’t even noticed! Woojin noticed for him! Woojin! Was this what old age was? He yelped as Woojin hit his arm.

 

“I can hear you thinking from here,” Woojin justified, “Let’s just go get your stuff,” Woojin rolled his eyes and grabbed his jacket, Chan pouted and stood up too. He opened his wallet (at least they hadn’t taken _that_ ) and paid the bartender. He followed Woojin out the door, then nudged Woojin,

 

“Go make a quick stop by the kitchen and grab the kid, I have a feeling I know where his friend went,” Woojin nodded and turned to find the side entrance for the kitchen. Chan knew they’d let him in, they knew he was with Chan.

 

Chan made a left, there was an alleyway half a block away, and if this kid had any sense that would be the ideal place to hide out for an hour or two. Too bad for this kid Chan had a bit too much knowledge on the right thing to do after robbing someone.

 

He stopped at the mouth of the alleyway, it was a dead end, discouraging many from hiding in it, but if you knew what you were doing you’d never get caught. Chan put his hands in his hips. The kid was definitely here, there was no noise, he _knew_ this alley, and there was _always_ noise. He sighed and shook his head.

 

“Listen kid,” he began, “It’ll be easier for everyone if you just give me my stuff back,” The alley didn’t answer. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again. “I’m telling ya kid, you’re really going to want to just give me my stuff back,” The alley way remained silent. Chan sighed again.

 

“Chris!” He heard to his side, he saw Woojin walking over to him, something squirming in his arms. Chan lit up.

 

“Hey look!” Chan told the alley way, “Here’s a reason you’re going to want to give me my stuff!” He pointed at Woojin who appeared at the mouth of the alleyway. The waiter squirming in his arms. He heard the alley gasp.

 

“Put! Me! Down!” The waiter complained, accentuating each word with an attempted kick. Woojin, stood there, holding the boy unflinchingly. The waiter whined again. “I don’t even know why I’m _here_ ! You just grabbed me!” Chan watched as the waiter tried to squirm out of Woojin’s arms again. Chan shook his head in pity, even _he_ couldn’t get out of Woojin’s grip, and this kid did not look strong.

 

Chan sighed again and looked into the alley, “You gonna give me my stuff now?” He asked. He thought he heard shuffling for a second then, nothing again. He heard the waiter start squirming again and looked up to the sky, wondering what he had done to deserve this. Okay, that list was probably pretty long, but that's besides the point.

 

“Help me!” The kid yelled, and oh no no no, this kid was _not_ going to yell for help. The kid started squirming harder, actually managing to land a kick on Woojin this time. Chan winced, Woojin was going to scold him about this for _hours_ later. Woojin rolled his eyes and threw the kid over his shoulder.

 

“Excuse me?” Chan heard a soft voice ask, he almost groaned out loud. _Whyyyyyy himmmmmmm._ He turned around fake smile plastered on his face.

 

“Yes?” He asked calmly, eyeing the woman. She would probably recognize him but if he played this right it wouldn’t matter.

 

“Is that kid okay?” She gestured to the waiter still flailing in Woojin’s grip.

 

“No!” The kid yelled back, Chan looked at him and rolled his eyes.

 

“He’s fine he’s just being dramatic,” Chan responded, making sure to sound especially exasperated. The woman raised an eyebrow. “You know that one weird friend?” Chan continued, the woman looked confused.

 

“I- I guess?” Chan nodded at her confirmation.

 

“Yeah well, our weird friend likes to hide in alley ways,” he gestured the alley in front of them. The woman if anything looked more confused.

 

“Okay?” She squinted at him, eyes widening in recognition. _Damn it_ , “Hey wait. Aren’t you Ch-” Chan covered her mouth. He put a finger to his lips

 

“Don’t. Say my name. It has a reputation of attracting people,” Chan explained shooting her a smile. The woman nodded, eyes wide. Chan internally sighed, this probably wouldn’t end up well.

 

“I’m… just going to go now,” The lady decided and began to walk away. The waiter squirmed harder,

 

“What!!” He yelled, “You can’t just _leave_ me!!” The woman turned around, still walking away.

 

“Have fun with your weird alley friend!” She called, waving. Woojin chuckled at that. Chan pouted at him,

 

“Why don’t you laugh at my jokes!” He whined. Woojin rolled his eyes,

 

“We have a visitor,” Woojin noticed. Chan turned back to the alley. Chan startled as he saw another kid right in front of him.

 

“God! You kids need to chill out!” He gasped, “I’m too old to be scared of things!” The kid in front of him rolled his eyes.

 

“You’re strange,” The kid stated bluntly, Woojin snorted.

 

“They call me Dr.Strange,” Chan shot back with a smirk. The kid grimaced at him. _How rude_. Chan watched as the kid threw back the things they had taken from him.

 

“Binnieeeee,” The waiter whined, as Chan scrambled to make sure nothing hit the floor. “I worked hard for thoseeeee,” The kid squirmed in Woojin’s grip again, this time with admittedly less vigor. He was starting to remind Chan of a child.

 

“Yeah,” Chan scoffed, “So did I,” Chan looked up at the kid in front of him. He was pretty sure if the kid (Binnie?) rolled his eyes any harder his eyes would fall out of his head. _Kids these days_.

 

“Now give me Jisung back,” The kid stated gruffly. Chan raised an eyebrow, _Jisung?_ Waiter boy spoke up.

 

“Yeah!!” He called from where he was limply residing over Woojin’s shoulder. “Let me go!” Chan nodded at Woojin, who promptly shoved the waiter (Jisung?) off his shoulder and let him run back to Binnie.

 

He watched as Jisung practically lept into the other boys arms, turning to glare at them as soon as he deemed himself properly protected. “You two are mean,” he muttered, face half hidden in the other boy’s chest. His glare sharpened as he nuzzled himself closer to the other boy. Chan rolled his eyes, _teenagers_.

 

Woojin nudged him, giving him the _we should go_ look. Chan looked back at the pair, the other boy currently cradling Jisung’s face in his hands murmuring words Chan could not hear. Chan pulled his business card from his pocket, _always prepared_.

 

“ _Chan_ ,” Woojin warned behind him, obviously not happy with where this was going. Chan ignored him, he was already going to get scolded, might as well. He flung the card at the entwined pair. They shot him odd looks as Binnie (Chan was _sure_ he heard that wrong, this kid did _not_ look like a Binnie), grabbed the card before it fell.

 

“You were good,” Chan explained, looking at the smaller boy then at Jisung. “Both of you,” He paused, head tilting in thought, “Maybe not as good as me, but you both have potential,” He nodded towards the card, “If you want a _real_ job, that would let you get out of,” He gestured around him. “ _Here_. Give me a call, I could use some youth at the company,” Woojin sighed again, this time louder. Chan continued to ignore him and turned to walk off, “Think about it. Okay?” The two boys nodded, still looking a bit confused.

 

“And you might want to keep the pda down,” Woojin added, “Not everyone is as…” He trailed off, “understanding as us.” The smaller boy scoffed,

 

“You’re one to talk,” He raised an eyebrow at Woojin, “I could tell you were with Chan the moment I looked at you two,” Chan lit up as Woojin flushed.

 

“Th- that’s not the poin-” Woojin stuttered.

 

“How could you tell!” Chan asked excitedly, “Was he looking at me a certain way? Was he being clingy? Oh!! Was he being _jealous_?” Woojin grabbed Chan’s arm and began dragging him away.

 

“We’re. Leaving.” Woojin grit out, dragging Chan behind him.

 

“Awwww Woojin!” Chan whined, smirking when he noticed the way Woojin’s ears were red. Chan looked back at the kids in the alley, “Think about it!” He called waving at them. He internally fist pumped as he got two small waves back.

 

“I can’t believe you offered them a job,” Woojin murmured once they were father away. Chan shrugged,

 

“They have potential. Maybe even to be as good as me,” Woojin scoffed at that.

 

“Last time I checked, _you_ weren’t the one that caught them. You were too busy falling for their distraction,” Woojin shot back. Chan groaned,

 

“You’re never going to let me live that down huh?”

 

“ _Never.”_ Woojin smiled, pausing as he looked back at the alley way. “You actually think they’re gonna call?” Chan shrugged,

 

“I just have a feeling this is going to be the start of something great,” Chan responded. Staring up at the night sky, the stars twinkling back at him.

  


He was sure they’d call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to sarah on youtube for translations that acc is my lifeblood! 
> 
> Ive literally been thinking of this for like,,, ever now ajdjs and I would probably sell my kidney for a scene stealers mv but jyp hates me so! Here we are! I’m probably going to leave it here!
> 
> Edit: haha im a lying liar who lies whoops but :D lets hope i dont ruin it...? :D??? Im happy im continuing it tho uwu 
> 
>  
> 
> [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/channieroo)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm... oops?

Jisung sighed, throwing a ball at the wall of his and Changbin’s apartment again. The week had been slow, not much having come their way since the incident at the club two weeks back. It seemed everyone and their mother knew that he and Changbin had actually gotten caught, their perfect record, ruined. Jisung caught the ball and sighed, staring up at the ceiling and leaning back in his seat. Getting caught had been a serious blow to his pride, no matter how much he tried to show he didn’t care he had been caught. It wasn’t even just that he’d gotten caught, but to get caught by some random celebrity? Now  _ that _ felt bad. Everyone knew that celebrities were easy targets, especially ones that decided to hang out at jazz clubs, at night, with  _ no security _ . 

 

Jisung groaned and put his hands over his face,  _ how had they gotten caught? _ He thought back to that night, wondering if there’s anything he did wrong, any one thing he did that had gotten them caught. Because there’s no way it had been Changbin’s fault, Mr.Bang Chan had been completely immersed in the performance, yelling and taking drinks like nothing else in the world mattered. So he had to have been the one that had messed up, he closed his eyes, trying to think of anything he had missed from that night. 

 

Had he slipped? Had their target not been as engrossed in Changbin’s performance as they thought he was? Maybe he had gotten caught early on and he was just being played with the rest of the night. But then how would he have known that  _ Changbin _ was part of it? Who could have noticed that, if Changbin and Jisung were almost never together inside the club? Let alone figure out they were robbing someone together? Certainly not a half drunk celebrity too engrossed in himself and the random kid onstage. 

 

Then he realized there had been something he hadn’t thought about. Rather, some _ one _ he hadn’t thought about. Blonde hair, broad shoulders, and an affinity for throwing people over shoulders rudely. There had been another person there that night, one he hadn’t thought much of until he had been pulled out of the kitchen and roughly shoved into his chest. He had stuck around with their target, had been around him the entire night, maybe Chan hadn’t noticed them, but maybe he  _ didn’t half to _ . Jisung shot up out of his chair, he was sure Chan had said the man’s name, had yelled it as the man was dragging him away. A name that  _ hadn’t  _ come up in their research.

 

He hadn’t found the name, but then again, before that night he hadn’t even known the name Bang Chan. Something that had surprised many people. And perhaps he wasn’t familiar with every aspect of Chan’s life but he could think of someone who might. It’d be a little hard to track down a woman he had only seen for a few seconds, but thinking about her demeanor that night, and the fact she was able to recognize Chan, gave him a small idea where she might be. 

 

He hurriedly stood up and grabbed his coat, quickly writing a note for Changbin and leaving it on the table, in case he wasn’t back when he got home. He opened the door to their small dingy apartment, walking into the cool November air,

 

He had some digging to do. 

  
  


————-

  
  


Changbin stared at the conveyor belt before him, he wasn’t really sure why he still worked here. Everyone knew factories were one of the worst places to work, and he knew he was way underpaid, and if he didn’t join one of the up and coming unions soon, it may end badly yet… as long as he and Sungie could have a roof over their heads it would have to do.

 

‘ _ As if this is the only thing paying for our apartment’ _ he thought to himself bitterly. The job with Chan had ended up as a bust, but they had still managed to swipe some other things from the club. Not as much as they wanted, but it would help keep them fed for a bit. Changbin suppressed a scowl, he was annoyed they had gotten caught. They had the easiest job in the book and they had gotten caught. He had told Jisung he didn’t care, he knew the boy was already blaming himself, but he had cared. A lot.

 

He clenched his fist, his other hand playing with the card in his pocket. He had told Jisung he had thrown it away, both of them telling themselves that they didn’t need anything besides where they were right now. Especially not what may have been a pity offering. He had a job, and that was enough to help them keep an apartment, perhaps it was small, and constantly cold, and stealing wasn’t the  _ best _ side job but it kept them fed and that was good enough. They didn’t need the card or to call anyone. 

 

Which is why he couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t throw it away. Every time he had tried to throw it away he had glimpsed the fancy gold writing that spelled out “Christopher Bang” in cursive, that Changbin hadn’t seen since he had been taught it in school. The number written out at the bottom with a small K.W. next to it. And when he saw it, he just wasn’t able to throw something so nice into the trash. Changbin ran his thumb over the writing again, it probably cost more to make a stack of these cards than he was paid in a week. 

 

Changbin looked up as he heard something being moved into the middle of the factory. His eyes widened as he realized the man standing in front of the object was the owner of the factory, who almost never came by. He watched as some of the people who had helped move the object in unveiled it, it being some sort of machine. The owner smiled at him and the other workers. 

 

Changbin wouldn’t remember this perfectly but one moment he was listening to the factory owner speak of the perks of the new machine and how much work it would be able to accomplish compared to human workers and the next, he was standing outside the factory, lunch in one hand and in the other, the last paycheck he would ever receive from the factory. Changbin stared at the street in front of him. Then crushed the paycheck in his hand and chucked his brown paper bag on the ground. He would apologize to Jisung about the food later, for now,

 

He had a call to make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: i leave scene stealers in the perfection it was  
> Also me: push everything else youre writing to the side And Write Scene Stealers because its your child  
> Me now: haha who did this  
> Shdkjdj im sorry but ive literally been thinking about this au non stop since i started it and i love it im sowwy ajdksj  
> Also!!! Sorry if its vague but Changbin got laid off because the machine would be replacing him sjdjsj sorry if it isnt clear :((
> 
>  
> 
> [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/channieroo)


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